North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations get going again in Mexico City on November 15. While the contentious issues like dairy supply management get a lot of headlines, there are quite a few items the countries do agree on.
Shaun Haney covers Canadian agriculture for the website Real Agriculture Dot Com. He tells Farm Journal’s Ag Web Dot Com that round four of the negotiations was very disappointing to Canadian producers. “When looking at beef and pork, the U.S. and Canada are completely on the same page,” Haney says. “They’re working together to lobby governments on both sides of the border.”
However, dairy management is an issue getting a lot of publicity. However, it’s not the only change that Canada is looking for in the negotiations.
Haney talked with dairy producers at a gathering in Las Vegas, trying to help them understand Canada’s perspective on several issues. Canada wants labor standards addressed, primarily due to working conditions in Mexico. Canada wants tighter environmental protections in the new agreement, as well as cultural exemptions in certain industries, and to put together a process to regulate anti-dumping. “Outside of the dairy bubble, we have a lot in common, with a lot of things we agree on,” Haney says.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.